Father Son

So I asked my son what he wanted to do. There were no basketball tournaments to go to, no play dates available, he was stuck with me and the possibility of rain. Go ride in the dirt? Nah. Play basketball? Hmmm nah. Sleep some more? Maybe. Fine, so then half jokingly I suggested how about we ride to grandma's? His eyes lit up as he said "Really!?", and I thought oh crap, I know that look. Now I have to deliver a 25 mile ride with about 1,000 feet of climbing...did I mention it was starting to rain?
All road and he'd need to roll on his mtb since he does not have a road bike. And worse, it was threatening to rain. So I did what any good dad does, and lobbied for buy in from my wife. Then consoled my daughter and promised up and down when she's eleven, she can go too. And finally, I packed as much as I could, so that we'd be ready for whatever the weather brought. Torrential rain? I got him a jacket for that. Wind? I got a windbreaker for that. Cold? I have 4 hats for that. Gatorade, water, banana, and even Frosted Flakes made the not so short list for my backpack.

As we departed our street we were quickly engulfed in a cold wind. Then our  downhill descent tortured our eyes as the rain pelleted our eyeballs. But it turns out, that was the worst of it. We left the rain behind us and spun on into our adventure. He was ready for anything. Navigating sidewalks, steep climbs, city streets and traffic, even the sudden drop in temperature when the sun tucked itself to bed behind Mt Tam.

But most of all he enjoyed the new experience. He later mentioned he couldn't believe how many new bike paths he rode on. He didn't once complain  either as I tend to be a broken record of stories ( I ride this to work..or watch for cars...stay close).

Grandma gave me an incredulous look as she found out how far her "little" grandson had ridden. I could only smile. The ride of course was more than exercise. It was father and son bonding at its best. I was only sad it was over. Until I realized, you know with a little training he could easily ride 50 miles. 

Love you buddy, stay close.